ok i set up my breeding tank about a week ago, put my female in a vase an let my male roam free, he built a beautiful bubble nest about 8 inches in diameter; and after about 30 hours i released my female.

at first they fought like crazy and my female tried to destroy the nest. the male got aggressive and chased her off. she hid while the male fixed the damaged nest, over the next day the female would come up to the nest and show interest but the male continues to chase her off and he just sits under his nest looking up. (occasionally going out after the female). their aggression has died down a little but the male still wont let my female near the nest.

my female has a white body with red fins so i cant see any breeding bars, her egg sack is growing though and the ovipositor is whiter then the body and looks like it is about to pop.

my question is, will my female every get near the nest and mate with my male? or did she ruin her chance at mating the first night when she tried to destroy it.. am i wasting time on this pair or should i switch in my other female??

Its not uncommon for the male to chase the female away from the nest several times before they spawn...it can be part of the pre-spawn behavior in some cases..... and as Kfryman posted she should be approaching the nest in a head down position as a sign of submission.

Are you sure they didn't already spawn...does it look like he is mouthing anything in the nest-especially if they have been together for over 24h

What spawning method are you using, how did you condition the breeders and can you post a pic of the spawning tank...

Lots of different ways to spawn successfully and every spawn can be different from spawn to spawn even with the same breeders.....they love to keep us on our toes...

ok she is swimming submissively, and i believe i spoke too soon, as i posted this thread, she came out and they began to "tango" after a few failed tries to wrap their bodies she sped off to a hiding spot, (poor gal is embarrassed.. lol) so i guess that means there is still hope

For new and/or young first time breeders-it can take several attempts before they are successful.....it can vary....sometimes they can have embrace problems for one reason or another and they will get frustrated---stop and start several times after a break/rest...sometimes the first several successful embraces-she may not drop any eggs and this is not uncommon...with some it can take several days to weeks and with others it will happen the second they are placed together....you want to be sure you have plenty of cover for the female to get away and rest-especially when they are kept together for long periods...I always feed mine if they take longer than 24h to spawn-other do not and some breeders will not even eat during this time.....spawning Bettas can vary a lot......but as long as they are healthy to start, conditioned properly and you have plenty of hiding places...you just have to have lots of patience......

also the female has to be brave and start to notice why she is there, strawberry did that many times but spawned anyways :P only once that they didn't spawn
i bred a white bodied and red finned female (and a pink-ish orange combodian) so i know how it's like just give them 3 days or so